Authorities in El Salvador have arrested the prominent human rights lawyer Ruth Eleonora López, Human Rights Watch said today.
On May 18, 2025, at 11 p.m., Salvadoran police arrested López at her home in San Salvador. Prosecutors are accusing López-who currently serves as the Director of Anti-Corruption and Justice at Cristosal, one of the leading human rights organizations in El Salvador-of embezzlement. At the time of her arrest, however, authorities did not provide any details about the specific allegations against her.
"Ruth López has bravely exposed corruption and human rights violations in El Salvador," said Juanita Goebertus, Americas director at Human Rights Watch. "Her arrest appears to be part of increased efforts to silence critics of the Bukele government."
López's detention is the latest reminder that, under President Nayib Bukele, El Salvador is increasingly hostile to journalists, union leaders, and human rights defenders. Labeling critics as "gang defenders," the Bukele administration and its supporters in the Legislative Assembly have passed laws that undermine freedom of expression, revoked the tax-exempt status of some NGOs, and arrested human rights defenders, including, most recently, a lawyer and an evangelical pastor linked to a peaceful
